Scandal of Korea’s Gangnam nightclubs: Young women ‘drugged and raped by VIP guests’

The scale of the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked Seoul’s exclusive Gangnam district has been revealed in a shocking investigation.

The squeaky clean image of South Korea’s K-Pop industry has been shattered as more than 350 people have been arrested after allegations that women were drugged in clubs and served to wealthy men to rape.

One wealthy client with an ‘appetite for unconscious women’ even asked a club host to ‘bring me the zombies’.

Gangnam, described as a playground for the rich and famous, sees K-Pop stars mix with wealthy businessman and a single night out can costs thousands.

However, clubs in the area have been accused of drugging women on the request of male VIPs who then record themselves raping their victims.

One of the biggest starts in K-Pop and a member of world famous band Big Bang, Seungri, part-owns a nightclub in Gangnam and has been questioned by police over claims he was procuring prostitutes for his business and had also embezzled money.

More than 350 people have been arrested in the scandal which has rocked the Gangnam nightclub district

K-Pop star Seungri is one of the celebritites embroiled in a sex scandal that has rocked the K-Pop industry

The star and several other high-profile musicians have denied any wrongdoing.

However, several other K-Pop celebrities were caught sharing sex videos and bragging in a chat room about raping women.

They also face accusations of using illegal drugs like methamphetamine.

Among them is singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young, who admitted filming himself having sex and sharing the footage without his partners’ consent.

Patrons and clubs in the Gangnam district also face accusations of allowing underage women being exploited.

A BBC investigation heard that victims were drugged with the substance GHB before being taken into alleyways, club back rooms or even hotels and raped by one or more men.

According to doctors, GHB disappears from a person’s system after a few hours, making it difficult for women to prove they had been raped.

The same investigation found that VIP guest worked with nightclub reps to drug and then abuse their victims.

Gangnam is one of the most exclusive districts of Seoul and is home to several high-end nightclubs

K-Pop star Jung Joon-young admitted filming himself having sex and sharing the footage without his partners’ consent

Even more shockingly, extremely wealthy or important guests, known as VVIPs, paid thousands for random women enjoying a night out to be drugged and brought to them, according to the allegations.

One club-goer told the BBC: ‘These men are hunters and they pay to get in the game. So you need prey. It’s foolish to think you won’t get shot in this place.’

A victim, ‘Kim,’ which is not her real name, revealed the horrific abuse she suffered after waking up in a hotel room with a man looking down on her.

She said: ‘He forced me to lie down but I didn’t want to, so I kept getting up. When I got up, he would grab my neck and force me down on the bed over and over. I thought someone could die like this by having their neck broken.’

One former club host said that a particular VIP was well-known for his appetite for unconscious women, once even saying ‘bring me the zombies’.

Seungri, center, member of a popular K-pop boy band Big Bang, speaks upon his arrival at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, March 14